Multiple vane angularly oscillatory pump



A. G. BODINE, JR

MULTIPLE VANE ANGULARLY OSCILLATORY PUMP Original Filed May'25. 1959 FIG. 1 6o 42 55 43 34 33 43 as v 3;. e2 11 6| Q 3 new I? v .7 t

C 3?. 63 (f 64 V F\ 'IIIIIILI.II

FIG.3

FIG.4

FIG. 5

INVHVTOR. 46 ALBERT G. BODINE JR.

ATTORNEYS United States Patent ice 7 Claims. (Cl. 10380) This invention relates generally to fluid pumps, and more particularly to angularly oscillatory fluid pumps having a plurality of fluid impelling vanes.

This application is a division of my parent application entitled Method and Apparatus for Pumping Fluids by Oscillatory Impeller Action, Serial No. 815,510, filed May 25, 1959.

An object of the invention is the provision of a simple, improved fluid pump of an angularly oscillatory vane type.

The invention is based on my discovery that a multiplicity of fluid impelling vanes mounted in a suitable array on an angularly oscillatory carrier in a fluid conduit is capable of developing a large and effective pumping effort. It is of course known to oscillate a vane, or blade, in a sector-shaped pumping chamber, with such vane or blade functioning essentially in the manner of a fluid displacing piston in a cylinder. Intake and exhaust valves were required. In contradistinction to such previously known pumps, the angularly oscillatory vanes of the present invention impel the fluid forwardly by virtue of their lateral acceleration. The pumping effort developed is proportional to both the acceleration factor and the inertia of the fluid. In some cases the vanes are rigid, and in others they comprise heads with flexible tail portions. In either case, the fluid is propelled by the lateral acceleration of the vanes against the fluid and the inertia of the fluid. By the provision of a multiplicity of the vanes, side by side, the fluid in the many channels between adjacent vanes is deflected laterally in first one direction and then the other by the alternately oppositely accelerating vanes; and inertia of the fluid against the vanes, at the time of reversal of the direction of vane acceleration, is in effect augmented by the momentum of the fluid being moved by the family of vanes just prior to such reversal. A single vane laterally moves a localized quantity of fluid ahead of it, and imparts lateral momentum thereto. When the vane reverses direction, this lateral momentum is dissipated uselessly. In the case of a plurality of vanes side by side, the momentum of the local quantity of fluid being laterally deflected by any given vane during vane motion in one lateral direction adds effectively to the inertia of the fluid as regards the next adjacent vane as the latter reverses the lateral direction of the fluid and then accelerates it in the reverse direction. The inertia of the fluid is thus effectively augmented by the plural vane array, with correspondingly increased pumping effort developed.

The invention will be further understood from the following detailed description of an illustrative embodiment thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal medial sectional view through an illustrative embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a transverse section taken on line 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a vane employed in the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged plan view of a modified vane; and

FIG. 5 is a side elevation of the vane of FIG. 3.

The invention is broadly applicable to pumping of liquids, gases, or fluent powdered or granular materials. Most applications are in the field of liquid pumping, and

3,152,543 Patented Oct. 13, 1964 the invention will therefore be hereinafter described primarily and illustratively with liquid pumping in view, but without implied limitation thereto, and the term fluid will be used as generic to liquids, gases, and fluent powdered or granular materials.

Reference is first directed to FIGS. 1-4, showing one simple form of the invention utilizing a plurality of angularly oscillatory vanes. Numeral 30 designates a base, on which is mounted electric drive motor 31, shaftcoupled to oscillatory torque driver, or source of oscillatory torque, designated generally at 32, and numeral 33 designates an angularly oscillatory pump.

The pump 33 has a cylindrical housing 34, mounted on base 30 through foot 35, and flanged at one end for support of end plate 36 and axial tube or conduit 37 integral therewith and extending coaxially into and substantially through housing 34. End plate 36 is ported at 38 for discharge of pumped fluid, and tube 37 is adapted for connection of a hose coupling and fluid supply conduit, not shown.

Between housing 34 and tube 37, and co-axial therewith, is a torsionally oscillatory vane carrier, herein the form of a cylindrical wall or sleeve 41, driven by oscil latory torque driver 32. Sleeve 41 is here shown to be formed integrally with and to project at right angles from an end plate 42 secured to the housing of driver 32, the details of which will be considered presently.

The sleeve 41 is mounted within housing 34 for angular oscillation about its longitudinal axis by means of bearings 43. The fluid flow path through the pump is indicated by the arrows, and extends inwardly through sleeve 37, thence radially outward between the inner end of sleeve 37 and the wall surface of plate 42, and thence axially or longitudinally of the sleeves 37 and 31 in the annular space 44 therebetween, to discharge finally via port 38.

Mounted on the inside of sleeve 41 in the annular space 44, are a multiplicity of fluid impelling vanes 45, in this case arranged in four annular rows or rings extending about the inside periphery of the sleeve (FIG. 2) and spaced longitudinally thereof. The vanes extend generally in the direction of fluid flow through the channel 44 between the sleeves 34 and 41, and sub-divide the channel 44 into a multiplicity of fluid passages or channels 44a. Each vane 45 comprises a thickened head or body part 46, fixed to sleeve 41, and a tapered or thin vane or tail part 47. Preferably, though not essentially, the vanes are composed of a flexible material such as rubber, or a plastic such as Nylon, Teflon, etc. The flexibility characteristic is of course useful only in the tail part 47, giving it a flexing propulsive action, when the sleeve 41 is oscillated, similar to that of a fishs tail, or swim fin. Since the vane is longitudinally fixed, its oscillation acts to propel the fluid along the adjacent channels 44a. FIGS. 4 and 5 show a modified form of impeller vane, comprising a body 50, adapted to be fixed to the sleeve 41, and a flexible, plate-like elastic tip 51 carried thereby. The tip 51 may be composed of thin stainless steel, or a phenolic plastic, Nylon, Teflon, rubber, etc. I may also employ rigid vanes or paddles, typically of the form shown in FIGS. l-3, and the convergent side surfaces of which propel the fluid in the longitudinal direction through the adjacent channels 44a when the vanes are oscillated by the sleeve 41.

A flexible fluid seal 54 mounted on housing 34 so as to contact the inner end of sleeve 41 seals against fluid leakage into the space between sleeve 41 and housing 34; and a similar seal 55 at the other end seals against entry of dust.

The oscillatory torque driver 32 will next be described. It may comprise any suitable device for angularly oscillating the sleeve 41 about its longitudinal axis. As here shown, it embodies the aforementioned housing 32, made up of end plate 58, peripheral sidewall 59, and opposite end plate 60. End plate 58 engages the aforementioned end plate 42 of sleeve 41, and is secured thereto, as shown. End plate 60 has a central boss 61 containing a bearing 62 for a relatively short and stiff gear shaft 63, coupled to the shaft of motor 31. On the inner end of shaft 63 is a spur gear 64, which meshes on opposite sides with a pair of spur gears '65 driving a corresponding pair of eccentrically weighted rotors 66. The rotors 66 contain bearings 67 which rotatably mount them on stub shafts 68 projecting from housing end plate 58. As will be seen, the eccentrically weighted rotors 66 are formed with masses displaced to one side of their axes of rotation, and the two rotors are so phased that these unbalanced masses approach and recede from one another in unison. Forces in the direction of a line intersecting the axes of the two rotors are accordingly balanced out. On the other hand, alternating force components exerted by the two unbalanced rotors along direction lines at right angles to the line intersecting the rotor axes are opposed, but exerted on opposite sides of the longitudinal center line or axis of the oscillatory torque driver or generator 32, and therefore co-act to create an alternating or oscillatory couple, i.e., an oscillatory torque. Thus, an oscillatory torque is exerted through shafts 68 to housing plate 58, and in turn to sleeve 41. This oscillatory torque oscillates the sleeve 41 about its axis and therefore the plurality of vanes 45 whereby to propel the fluid through inter-vane channels 44a of the pump as previously described.

In the pumping action characteristic of the invention, the multiplicity of oscillating impeller vanes move laterally in first one direction and then the other, against the fluid in the multiplicity of channels 44a between vanes, and by reason of the shaping and/or flexibility of the vanes, the fluid is impelled forwardly in the many inter-vane channels 44a.

As hereinabove described, the pumping effort is proportional to both the lateral acceleration of the vanes and to the inertia of the fluid. By use of the plurality of vanes, in parallel, or side by side, the effective inertia of the fluid is increased, this following from the fact that the acceleration of the family of vanes in first one direction gives the fluid a momentum in that direction, which then adds to the inertia of the fluid when the vanes next accelerate in the opposite direction. It will be seen that this effect is attained in all cases wherein a plurality of vanes are positioned side by side. The effect is maximized when the vanes are disposed in a complete annular array, as typically disclosed in the illustrative embodiment of the invention chosen for illustration herein.

It will be understood that the drawings and description are merely illustrative of and not restrictive on the invention considered in its broader aspects, and that various changes in design, structure and arrangement may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In an oscillative vane pump, the combination of:

means forming a fluid conduit having an annular fluid flow channel arranged for fluid flow therethrough in a direciton parallel to the longitudinal axis thereof,

a multiplicity of angularly oscillating vanes having head and tail portions and longitudinal edges, said vanes being annularly spaced side-by-side in said channel and longitudinally oriented therein, with their head portions facing upstream therein, and located generally in planes which are radial of said longitudinal axis, said vanes having side surfaces which are disposed at angles to said radial planes during angular movement of said vanes about said axis,

and angularly oscillative drive means operatively connected with said vanes for angularly oscillating said vanes about said longitudinal axis,

said annular flow channel being arranged with boundaries adjacent the longitudinal edges of said vanes.

2. The subject matter of claim 1, wherein said vanes comprise head portions and relatively thinner tail portions.

3. The subject matter of claim 1, wherein said vanes have head portions and relatively flexible tail portions. 4. In an oscillativc vane pump, the combination of: means forming an annular fluid channel and comprising an outer hollow cylindrical member and an inner cylindrical member spaced annularly inside said outer cylinder, so as to form said annular fluid channel therebetween.

a multiplicity of angularly oscillating vanes having head and tail portions, said vanes being annularly spaced side by side in said annular channel, and longitudinally oriented therein, with their head portions facing upstream therein, and generally in planes which are radial to the longitudinal axis of said channel, said vanes having side surfaces which are disposed at angles to said radial planes during angular movement about said axis, and being mounted on one of said cylindrical members,

and driving means for angularly oscillating said last mentioned cylindrical member about said longitudinal axis,

said cylindrical members being disposed adjacent opposite longitudinal edges of said vanes.

5. The subject matter of claim 4, wherein said vanes comprise head portions and relatively thinner tail portions.

6. The subject matter of claim 4, wherein said vanes have head portions and relatively flexible tail portions.

7. The subject matter of claim 4, wherein said vanes are mounted on the said outer cylindrical member, and said driving means is operatively connected to said outer cylindrical member for angular oscillation thereof.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 106,236 Tolar Aug. 9, 1870 762,687 Cochrane June 14, 1904 2,330,764 Troth Sept. 28, 1943 2,611,321 Shafer Sept. 23, 1952 2,728,298 Shafer Dec. 27, 1955 3,050,012 Bierman Aug. 21, 1962 FOREIGN PATENTS 751,591 Great Britain June 27, 1956 

1. IN AN OSCILLATIVE VANE PUMP, THE COMBINATION OF: MEANS FORMING A FLUID CONDUIT HAVING AN ANNULAR FLUID FLOW CHANNEL ARRANGED FOR FLUID FLOW THERETHROUGH IN A DIRECTION PARALLEL TO THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS THEREOF, A MULTIPLICITY OF ANGULARLY OSCILLATING VANES HAVING HEAD AND TAIL PORTIONS AND LONGITUDINAL EDGES, SAID VANES BEING ANNULARLY SPACED SIDE-BY-SIDE IN SAID CHANNEL AND LONGITUDINALLY ORIENTED THEREIN, WITH THEIR HEAD PORTIONS FACING UPSTREAM THEREIN, AND LOCATED GENERALLY IN PLANES WHICH ARE RADIAL OF SAID LONGITUDINAL AXIS, SAID VANES HAVING SIDE SURFACES WHICH ARE DISPOSED AT ANGLES TO SAID RADIAL PLANES DURING ANGULAR MOVEMENT OF SAID VANES ABOUT SAID AXIS, AND ANGULARLY OSCILLATIVE DRIVE MEANS OPERATIVELY CONNECTED WITH SAID VANES FOR ANGULARLY OSCILLATING SAID VANES ABOUT SAID LONGITUDINAL AXIS, SAID ANNULAR FLOW CHANNEL BEING ARRANGED WITH BOUNDARIES ADJACENT THE LONGITUDINAL EDGES OF SAID VANES. 